The Chattanooga Football Club is moving into the professional ranks with a very familiar face.
Bill Elliott, who has guided CFC to a 79-25-24 record the past seven seasons and has been named the National Premier Soccer League’s coach of the year three times, agreed Friday to lead the team for an eighth season and a first with professional players. Last month, the NPSL announced CFC will be among 11 clubs to play an amateur season from May to August next year before vying in the inaugural Founders Cup pro event from August through November.
Elliott also will serve as CFC’s general manager in 2019, with current GM Sheldon Grizzle assuming the role of club president. CFC also announced Friday that Peter Fuller, one of the winningest coaches in NAIA history with a 311-115-21 record, will serve as Elliott’s associate head coach.
“I’m excited,” Elliott said. “I’m going to have new working relationships. I’ve known Sheldon and I’ve worked with Peter briefly, so building chemistry with our front office and our coaching staff is going to be the big challenge. I’m looking forward to it.”
Elliott’s success with CFC includes a trio of 15-win seasons, six NPSL Southeastern Conference titles, four national semifinal appearances and three national final appearances. CFC lost the 2015 NPSL title to the New York Cosmos B 3-2 in extra time before a Finley Stadium crowd of 18,227, the largest audience ever for an amateur club soccer game in this country.